International Science & Technology Linkages Fund involving Germany

The NZ/FRG Scientific and Technological Co-operation (STC) Agreement Programme is a sub-programme of the ISAT Linkages Fund.  It supports the STC Agreement signed in 1977 between the Governments of New Zealand and the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) to foster closer co-operation in specific areas of science and technology between the two countries. 

Applications for 2010-11 are now open.  Guidelines here and Application forms here.

It should be noted that as this programme is subject to 2010 Budget decisions, no particular level of funding is guaranteed and all commitments made or implied in the guidelines are subject to suitable appropriations being made by the New Zealand Government.

You are encouraged (i.e. both the NZPI and the German PI), where possible, to simultaneously make applications in both Germany and NZ.  The NZ and German bid assessment processes will be consistent and coordinated.

Applications for funding under this programme are sought from researchers and technologists wishing to establish or enhance collaborative projects with their German counterparts.  The programme facilitates bilateral research through the provision of funding for New Zealand researchers to travel to Germany (travel and local costs) to work on joint research projects. The reciprocal costs for Germans travelling to NZ might be covered by similar German funding schemes (see below).  Funding under this programme supports travel-related costs and does not fund direct research costs.

Applications involving Health; Food/Agriculture/Biotechnology (mainly biofuels, bioenergy, safe food production, greenhouse gas reduction, renewable resources); Information and Communication Technologies (ICT); Environment (especially climate change); Marine and Antarctic research areas will have priority. 

The enhancing of collaborations in mutually agreed priority areas will benefit both countries and give such collaborations a better chance of thriving.  The research areas identified are those that the Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernaehrung (BLE), the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF), and the Ministry of Research, Science & Technology (MoRST) have agreed to be mutually important, and in which each country has complementary strengths and advantages.